The Medieval Banquet, London, UK

When I heard there was a medieval banquet in London, complete with four course meal, unlimited ale and entertainment all evening I was very interested. When I realised you could take children, I thought why not? So yesterday we headed to London for some medieval fun!

We invited Grandad and his family too and we also took a dog. Including Grandad and the dog there were eight of us on this adventure.

When we arrived my daughter was in a bit of a state because she had fallen outside and grazed her knee. She is very squeamish and she struggles to cope with any injury. We were greeted by a very friendly man who quickly fetched me a first aid kit and gave me directions to the bathroom so I could sort her out.

Once my daughter felt able to, we joined the rest of our party at our table where our first course was waiting for us. The first course was soup and bread and we had far more than we needed. In fact that was a theme throughout the whole meal. We didn’t go hungry!

The second course was a platter of meats, pates and cheeses with huge slices of cucumber, tomato and lettuce. We had two platters between six of us and one extra plate of the vegetarian alternative, tomatoes and mozzarella with salad.

The main course was chicken which came out in cauldrons and large plates of new potatoes and vegetables. The vegetarian option was stuffed squash. The food was delicious and there was more than enough to go round. They even provided food for the dog and a box of leftovers to take home!

The dessert was a large slice of apple pie. Cream was available if wanted. One of our party is gluten intolerant and was given ice cream as an alternative.

There was unlimited red wine, ale and apple juice during the meal and a bar available for other drinks.

Throughout the meal we were entertained by various acts. There were singers, jesters, jugglers, dancers, acrobats and live medieval music. The acts moved around so you could always see and you got to see everything.

At the end of the show there was a sword fight where you could cheer for the knight you wanted to win.

After the meal characters came round to pose for pictures and let the kids hold the swords. Then there was a disco which reminded me of the dancing after a wedding meal!

The staff were all lovely and made sure we were well looked after. We really enjoyed our evening, even the dog! And of course its always great to see Grandad!

Taking a child with an ASD to The Medieval Banquet, London?

The atmosphere is very loud. There are loud acts and guests are encouraged to bang their fists on the tables and cheer.

It can feel quite crowded at times, such as when people join in with dancing.

The lights are dimmed.

The food is a set menu and available to see on the website.

The staff are friendly and good with children.

There is a lot to look at.

Service dogs are allowed.

It is possible to go outside at any time between acts but whilst acts are on you can’t walk across the floor.

The ladies toilets had a sofa and quieter area.

My son was quite on edge during parts of the meal and he got quite close to meltdown. He needed some screen time (fortunately I took his phone) for a little while and could of done with his ear defenders. He did however enjoy the evening, he liked the food and watching the entertainment.

The Medieval Banquet is located at St. Katharine Docks by Tower Bridge in London and is easy to get to by public transport. We didn’t, but you can hire medieval costume and/or purchase hats on the way in to add to the entertainment. It is advisable to book in advance online. The telephone number for more information is 020 7480 5353.